


Zero Effort

by TheRaginPagan



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-06-02 11:40:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6564715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRaginPagan/pseuds/TheRaginPagan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Often times, digging up the past yields explosive results. But you know what they say; no pain, no gain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Time To Think

_‘-click-…’_

 

_Life’s tough out in space; someone always tries to fuck you over. Friends, family; not just enemies. Even some you just meet on the street. They don’t give a damn about you, your feelings, or even your gender. To them, you’re just another account with credits. But enough philosophy._

_I was in that cell for a while. A cell--that’s a joke. It was a fuckin’ freezer. The little boys outside were too afraid of what I’d do to them, so they strapped me in tight under ice._

_Whatever. It gave me time to think, you know?_

_They called the prison Purgatory. That’s a crock of shit. Purgatory is punishment for your soul, if you believe all that religious crap. That place was a permanent frozen hell. It can’t even be called a prison; more like a slave market. Prison is a place you can escape from, give them a good work-out session. Out on Purgatory, there was only space, nowhere to go. But boy, do I love visitors._

_That scaly bastard Kuril learned the hard way that I’m a tough bitch. We had some shoppers come, looking to buy some “help”. People never change; they wanted slaves. Either to kill or work to death or even to fuck; I don’t care._

_So I got out, stole their ship. Got all the way to Erinle before the Blue Suns caught me again. After that they learned not to put a Biotic in a box. So they stuck me in the freezer._

_Yeah, I’m a Biotic. I don’t know if I always was, and I don’t care. Chances are I was made this way by those pricks at Cerberus, back before I escaped from them. Then they finally caught me. Some big hero named Shepard or something. So I guess I work for the people I hate._

_But that’s life, you know?_

_Shepard gave me access to a shit-ton of Cerberus files, so I’m finding out all sorts of fun secrets, though there’s still a lot of holes. The first place I can remember was a Cerberus facility. I don’t remember the planet; Prague, or some shit like that. It was hot all the time. The only thing that made the heat bearable was the constant rainfall. Of course, that made it comfortable for more than those Cerberus pricks; mutated plants were a constant danger._

_Good thing I was worse._

_The other kids – kids like me – they were sheep. We’d have fight sometimes--the guards called them “test runs.” They usually ended with one dead kid, and I’ll give you two guesses on who always won._

_I loved to fight, loved the thrill of it, the tingle in my fists, the warm feelings… I had to love it, otherwise I got the active end of a cattle-prod. Half the time I didn’t know what was going on. The scientists would inject me with a cocktail of drugs and I would just black out. Next thing I knew I was staring down at a dead kid, their body all twisted and battered, and the guards were dragging me back to my cell._

_After a while, I started trying to fight the guards too. I wanted more, always more. I felt like a fuckin’ Krogan; no brain of my own, just the anger and the power and the adrenaline. It felt good. Every time those guards would drag me back, I would struggle and kick like they were dragging me to my death._

_Maybe they were, after all. But I guess they also found out why they shouldn’t have put me in a box._


	2. Escape

_‘-click-…’_

 

Jack stared up at her ceiling, her eyes tracing every crack. She had long ago stopped trying to get the attention of the other Biotics outside; it never worked. They continued to play and lift boxes in the air like good little sheep. The wolf got to stay locked up until it was time to kill.

When she thought about it, that’s what Jack was; a wolf. Cerberus kept her under lock-and-key, and the only time they took her out was either to inject her with drugs and let her beat the hell out of the other kids or torture her with tests. She was a pet, not a person.

The guards and Biotics had given her a name after she killed her first kid – said that she “jacked” him up – and it stuck. But she was still an animal to them, a feral beast that meant someone was going to die. The doctors reminded her that she was nothing by calling her “Zero.”

The dressed her and all the other kids in a plain, single-piece uniform. They were stark white, and form fitting so as not to hinder the Biotic children during their exercises. The boys’ heads were shaved short, the girls’ hair was cut at the chin, giving some distinction between gender but also maintaining a very prisoner-like look.

She was only twelve, but had never known how to really be a kid. She never knew her parents, and had never experienced the joy of having a friend. She didn’t remember all of that; nothing before Teltin. Her only friends were at the ends of her arms. They protected her, fought with her, and they would die with her. It was just her and her fists.

Sometimes they pissed her off, or they were her only release from stress. She would rip her sheets to ribbons, tie them to the bed and wrap them around her wrists until her fingers went numb. Then she would pull, trying to rip her hands off. It usually ended with her bed breaking in half; this one was her tenth bed.

A small explosion shook Jack from her thoughts. She got off the bed and moved to the sealed door. She pounded on it, shouting out at the guard. “Hey, what the fuck’s going on out there?” She kicked the door in frustration. “Let me out, goddammit!”

A heavy pound answered her. “Language, you little brat. Shut it before I get a doctor to calm you down. You want that? Another needle-nap?”

Jack smirked and kicked the door. “Pussy.” She taunted. She jumped and looked out her window as a fireball jetted out from one of the facility’s rooms below. Her room shook violently, the door crumpling as the frame broke.

The guard whirled around, bringing his assault rifle up. “Shit, big problem at cell ze--“

He never got to finish. Blue energy flared along Jack’s body as she let out a primal roar and lunged the door. She slammed into him, her arm pressed against his throat as she pinned him to the wall. Jack glared up at the guard, letting him choke for a while before she rammed her fist into the man’s gut.

He dropped to the floor, doubled over in pain. Jack stared down at the helpless man; his armor was cracked where she hit him, and blood leaked from the openings. Emotions ran rampant through her mind, but most of all was the adrenaline, the anticipation for a fight.

“Little bitch.” The guard moaned, struggling to his feet. “You got this coming.”

Jack snarled and thrust her hand out, hitting the guard with a biotic burst. The man screamed as he struck the wall behind him, leaving a large bloody stain. Jack stepped up to the body and spat.

“You people shouldn’t have fucked with me.” She sneered, kicking the corpse. “Now it’s time for payback.” She left the scene behind her, taking the nearest corridor to find the shuttle-bay. She intended to leave, but not before burning the place to the ground.

Screams sounded further down the hallway, breaking Jack from her trance. Her head snapped up as she looked to the source. Five soldiers were coming fast, more likely than not to try and subdue her. _‘Fuck that.’_ she thought to herself, taking a combat stance.

“Arm suppressors,” one of the soldiers shouted at his squad, “they want her alive!”

“Go to hell!” Jack screamed, unleashing a barrage on the men. Several biotic explosions shot from Jack’s feet as she thrust her hand up, bursting from the ground in a rapid line towards the soldiers. Before they could react the shockwave hit, tossing them aside like ragdolls.

Before the squad-leader could recover, Jack ran up and stomped on his helmet with a savage roar. The tempra-glass cracked, and the soldier gave an agonized scream as several shards lanced into his face. Jack continued stomping, flares of biotic energy sweeping out from her small form.

One of the soldiers grabbed Jack’s hair and pulled her off the dead soldier. She screamed in pain and anger, twisting around to get a shot off at the soldier who held her. She kicked at his kidney, her leg glowing blue as her biotics amped up the attack. The soldier screamed as he was sent flying, a few strands of Jack’s hair still held in his hand.

The remaining three opened fire. Their shots did nothing to slow her however, a barrier absorbing the impacts as she ran towards them. Jack had to hand it to them; they didn’t stop firing even as she leaped over their heads. Her biotics flared as she roared angrily, slamming down atop them. Chunks of the floor went flying, a large piece of rubble burying itself in one guards face as another was sent flying through a window. The third wasn’t as lucky; Jack landed directly on top of him, sending bits of armor, bone and blood flying.

The battle settled around her. Jack gritted her teeth as pain seeped back into her awareness, past the euphoria. She brought a hand up to where her hair had been pulled out. “Screw this…” She hissed, pulling the faceless soldiers’ combat knife from his boot. She quickly cut her hair, leaving brown strands in the puddle of blood at her feet.

A chill ran down her neck – whether from the fight or the chill on her scalp Jack couldn’t tell – as she ran a hand over the remaining tuffs of hair. Satisfied that no one could grab it again, she continued on past the corpses.

As Jack rounded the corner she saw him; the doctor who ran most of the tests on her. He spoke frantically to a holo-vid recorder, no doubt leaving a message for Cerberus. Everything he did to her, every poke, prod and injection came to mind.

“Wait, Zero no!” The helpless man screamed as she ran towards him, his hands held up in a feeble defense.

The Biotic slammed into him, blue energy flaring across her body. She swung her fists wildly - forgetting the blade in her hand - as incoherent screams drowned out any resistance the doctor shouted at her. With each connected blow Jack felt a little better, but also wanted more. Her spine tingled, and the warm blood on her fists brought a strange focus to her mind. She grunted as she kicked the doctor’s body into a wall. She breathed heavily as the fresh blood dripping from her tiny fists, her best friends.

She looked up to see sunlight. It wasn’t such an odd sight, but it meant that outside would be hell. She was just wearing her uniform; the soldiers would be dressed in full armor. “Suck for them.” She muttered her gaze dropping back to her surroundings. She thought for a moment before she grabbed her uniform, cutting it at the waist with the knife. She tossed the cut top to the side, now dressed in nothing but her undergarments and makeshift pants. It would do, and she’d be better off in the Pragian climate than the soldiers would.


	3. The Sheep

_‘-click-…’_

 

The young Biotic continued on her way, the combat knife held tightly in her grip. She doubted it would be necessary, but it would be fun nonetheless. The facility was rocked by another explosion, sending Jack sprawling against a wall. The stairs leading up to the next level collapsed, sending metal plates and poles scattering across the floor.

Jack scowled at the damage. “Just great…” She griped. Ten feet up; she could easily clear that. The young biotic crouched, blue energy flaring along her body before she leapt up, landing heavily on the platform above.

As she stood, a few of the sheep emerged from cover. “It’s Jack…” One of them said softly, as though even her name was dangerous.

“Yeah, Subject Zero.” Another said, glaring at the bloodied biotic. “The guards want her alive, so they won’t try to kill her.”

“Oh yeah?” Jack shot back, her temper flaring at the designation the doctors had given her. “I suppose you think you’re gonna be the one to bring me in, don’t you princess?”

The girl held up her hands, cautious. “What? No! We only thought--“

“Yeah, bad idea there.” Jack cut her off. “Sheep aren’t supposed to think.”

“She’s always going to be their favorite Alice!” A boy shouted at the thinker. “She’s not going to help us; we’re better off just handling it ourselves.”

“Like hell!” Jack shouted. All the resentment the other kids had for her, all the luxuries they enjoyed while she was stuck in a box, the names they called her; it all came boiling to Jack’s mind as she lunged at the boy. Biotics raced along her arm as she buried it into his chest, her friend exploding out his back.

The others screamed in alarm and terror, Jack’s momentum carrying her into Alice. She kicked the boy’s body off her arm, sending both of them sailing into a far wall.

One of the Biotics launched a ball of energy towards Jack. It struck her side, sending her stumbling a few feet. “I’m going to bring this whole place down on you!” She screamed back, sending her own burst towards her attacker. Her power was much stronger than his, sending the boy flying through the plate steel walls of the facility. His screams pierced back in through the hole, sending the other Biotics scattering.

Jack looked up to the ceiling. She couldn’t hear their screams for the blood pounding in her ears, the adrenaline coursing through her small body. Energy flared along her arms and shoulders as she reached up towards the supports. They buckled and strained, mass effect fields forming along them.

Soon the strain was too much, and the ceiling gave way. Jack thrust her hands towards the floor, sending the rubble tumbling rapidly towards the fleeing children. One of them was smart; she quickly put up a field to deflect aside shards of glass and steel. The rest were not so lucky, and were crushed under the falling debris.

Jack slammed to the lower floor, sending more debris flying. She stalked towards the remaining Biotic, rage clouding her mind and euphoria warming her chest.

“Zero—Jack, wait!” The young girl pleaded as she stumbled backwards, exhausted from the effort it took to defend against the ceiling. She choked as Jack lifted her up by the throat.

“Don’t call me zero, bitch.” Jack snarled.

“We wanted… help!”

“Yeah, I get it. Turn me in to the docs for a nice little pat on the head.” Jack’s free hand balled into a fist. “I’m not going back to that cell, back to Cerberus. You think you’re going to drag me back all on your own? I’ll tear you apart!” Jack brought her fist back, sending the girl flying with a thick _‘smack!’_

More of the ceiling came down, narrowly missing Jack. She looked around. Fires burned from several of the rooms, and most of the walls had holes in them. Bodies of doctors and guards littered the room, as well as the children Jack had dealt with.

“To hell with this place.” Jack muttered, heading towards one of the doors that wasn’t on fire. “Time to find a bird off this nightmare.”

The heat from Pragia’s jungles hit Jack as the door slid open, pushing her back a step. Sunlight glared in her eyes, temporarily blinding her as she tried to find her bearings. She heard the click of a gun’s safety, as well as the faint clatter of armor. “Subject Zero in custody,” a voice reported, “the Illusive Man wants her brought safely to the new facility.”

“Oh yeah?” Jack shot back. “I bet he does.” She stomped the ground below her, a mass effect field flaring out from her foot and sending the guards flying. She caught a glint of light on the hull of a shuttle and ran towards it, throwing two guards aside and into the jungle below.

She leapt into the shuttle, thrusting dark energy behind her to clear any guards that might have survived her attack. Jack ripped open the cockpit’s door, grabbing the pilot by the collar and dragging him out. “You can’t fly!” He objected.

She sneered. “I’ll just have to try real hard.”

“You’ll get us all killed!”

“Yeah,” she retorted, “that’s kind of the idea.” Jack kneed the hapless man in the gut, and then kicked him from the craft.

There were too many buttons. She searched for the ignition, figuring that it was all she really needed. As she punched it, the engines flared to life and lifted the shuttle off the platform. Jack grabbed the controls and swung the craft around, smirking as she heard the pilot fry behind her. She punched the acceleration, blasting the pad below as it sent the small ship sailing up over the treetops.


	4. Resolution

_‘click, click…‘_ Jack lifted her gaze from the detonator in her hands. Shepard sat across from her in the crew bay of the Normandy’s Kodiak shuttle.

They had just visited the Teltin facility to get some closure for Jack’s troubled past. She had wanted to see if it had died, if the plants of Pragia had swallowed the ruins she left behind twelve years ago. All she found was another survivor, desperately clinging to the past like her. But he wanted to rebuild the damned place; Jack wanted to make it into a hole.

So she had planted a bomb in her old cell. It was as good a place as any to set the place free; right from her little prison.

Shepard gave her a small nod before pounding on the cockpit door. Jack looked back down to the detonator in her hand, her thumb moving to mash the button down.

* * *

Jack stepped hesitantly into the room.

“I’m glad you came, Jack.” Miranda said, seated so smugly behind her desk. “I wanted to clarify details concerning the Teltin facility on Pragia, where you were trained.”

“Cut the bullshit, cheerleader,” Jack sneered, “I wasn’t trained there, I was _tortured_ there.”

Miranda gave a small smile, “Yes, I’m sure that to a young child it might seem—“

“Not ‘might’, it was. Needles, electricity, drugs; whatever your buddies at Cerberus felt like sticking in me they did.”

“I assure you, the men responsible were not friends of mine.” Lawson leaned on her desk. “The Illusive Man found out what was going on after the riots. He ordered—“

“Bullshit!” Jack sneered. “I heard the guards. They said the Illusive Man wanted me alive, at a new goddamn facility!”

“It was twelve years ago, Jack.” Miranda rose from her desk. “You were only a child, and as you saw yourself the events that happened weren’t as you remember them. It’s possible that you misheard them.”

“Not likely, princess,” Jack said, leaning over Miranda’s desk intrusively, “not unless there’s some other jack-ass named “Illusive Man” running around ruining lives. I’ve been through all the files, remember? I know all your dirty secrets, so I know when you’re lying.”

Miranda scowled. “Shepard should have never given you access to those. Clearly you intend to use them to dangerous ends.”

“Dangerous like murdering a family for their child? Or how about messing with big fucking plants that control people?”

“I assure you,” Miranda began, “the Illusive Man had no idea—“

“You should do a little dance to that too,” Jack taunted, “it’d look much more precious. What the fuck kind of boss is your Illusive Man if he doesn’t know half the shit that goes on with his people?”

“Bringing you on this ship was a mistake.” Miranda accused. “You don’t care about the mission; you just want to tear Cerberus to the ground.”

“Damn right I do cheerleader, but I can’t do that if we’re all dead now can I?”

Miranda moved from behind her desk, “If you won’t listen to reason, then leave my office Jack.”

Jack crossed her arms with a smirk. “You just can’t face facts: your boss is a freak, your job is a lie, and Cerberus has you dancing by the strings.”

“I will remove you if necessary.”

Her smirk turned to a scowl as dark energy flared along her arms. She threw one of the chairs across the room. “Touch me and I will smear the walls with you, bitch!”

The door behind her slid open as Shepard came in. “Enough! Stand down, both of you!”

Jack didn’t even glance back, stalking towards Miranda. “The cheerleader won’t admit what Cerberus did to me was wrong.”

Miranda shook her head. “It wasn’t Cerberus, not really. But clearly you were a mistake.”

Jack turned on her again, thrusting a finger accusingly at her. “Screw you! You’ve got no idea what they put me through! Maybe it’s time I showed you…”

Shepard stepped between them. “My opinion is the one that matters. Our mission is too important to let personal feelings get in the way, so you two keep a deck apart at all times.”

Jack sneered, “Fuck your feelings! I just want her dead.”

Miranda shook her head, looking to Shepard for support. “She can’t be trusted Shepard. She’ll jeopardize the whole mission.”

The Commander sighed. “You both know what we’re up against. If we survive this you two can tear each other apart. Until then, save your hate for the Collectors.”

Miranda gave a small nod, stepping towards Jack. “I can put aside _my_ differences, until the mission’s over.”

Jack glared at her. "Sure. I’ll do my part; she’ll survive. I’ll make sure of it. I’d hate to see her die before I get a chance to filet her. Then… I’ll tear you apart myself.”

She swept past Shepard, her hands still clenched. Whatever. Her prison was a smoking ruin, the only other survivor dead with it. It was done and over, and there was a lot more ass to kick than Cerberus’.


End file.
